Exhibit
29 – Criminal Complaint against the Lee – Powers Family, written
at the request of Raye A. Smith March 5, 2012
Criminal Complaint –
for embezzlement, fraud, elder abuse, and grand theft.
District Attorney,
Ashtabula, Ohio,
Raye Smith, age 63, is the widow of
Major David Kooker. As a widow, she has a small income from her
deceased husband and earns a few hundred dollars a year selling
jewelry she makes and books. These are the funds on which she lives.
She is a former teacher with a BA and teaching credential from
California.
Additionally, Raye is the
owner/operator of an online website which is educational in nature.
The website has been in operation for sixteen years and has a large
and faithful following but generates no effective income. Raye is
also an ordained priest in the Church of Antioch, a faith association
of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Numerous people work with Raye as
volunteers on the site and its projects.
Ms. Smith was persuaded to relocate to
Ohio by a woman she knew as Anna Leigh Powers, who goes by several
different names in late 2010 for the purpose of carrying out their
largest project on which she had been working for several years.
The project was to establish a retreat
for members of her church as a conference center for educational and
spiritual purposes. Anna Leigh's daughter, Angela Kay Lee, had been
assisting with the website, which Raye runs, for several years and
introduced her mother to Raye.
The project in question began three
years ago. Other the intervening years Raye found herself doing small
fundraisers to pay, first to put a down payment on the land, then to
pay for needed improvements and other ongoing expenses. Over the last
three years supporters have contributed over $100,000. One individual
donated $16,000. Raye, herself, contributed her entire retirement
savings.
The land was placed in Angela Lee’s
name because Raye was told this was the only way the land could be
developed. Ownership was to be transferred to the church, which would
be started in Ohio. At the time there was no plan for Ms. Smith to
relocate to Ohio.
In late 2009 Anna Leigh Powers,
pleading homelessness and medical problems, persuaded Raye to allow
her to live with her. Powers moved into Raye's home in Watsonville,
California and began a campaign to persuade Ms. Smith to sell her
home and relocate to Ohio.
Raye, a trusting woman, did not think
to question Power's motives and, in fact, lacked relevant information
on Power's background. Ms. Smith supported Powers while she was
living with her, providing shelter, food, clothing and entertainment.
Powers had no income of her own as far as Raye knew. Powers, who
claimed to have medical problems, did not help with housework, which
was performed by Ms. Smith's housekeeper. Powers did offer to help
with bookkeeping and prepared two tax returns for Mrs. Kooker, 2009
and 2010. Later, these had to be redone. A significant number of
records went missing, later found secreted in Powers former room in
Mrs. Kooker's rented house located in Ashtabula.
Power's name at birth was Donna Jean
Bartac. Raye has since learned Powers has used several other names
these are: Anna Lee Powers, Donna Jean Beckelheimer, Anna Leigh
Powers, and Anna Lee. She also goes by Onalee. We have found
indications she may also be using other names as well.
She and her family have been using the
Social Security numbers of the minor children of the family to obtain
credit for at least 15 years, since the oldest grand-daughter of
Donna Jean was seven years of age, according to the girl herself, who
discovered this when connecting electric service in her own name
using her Social Security Number. The grandmother, Donna Jean, blamed
her daughter, Angela Lee, Angela blamed her mother.
No one in the family, with the
exception of Brittany Lee, one of the two daughters of Angela Lee,
holds a regular job.
According to records found on the
Internet Powers has been evicted numerous times. She admits having
'worked' for elderly people who she claims, left her valuable jewelry
and other items, still in her possession.
Powers' behavior underwent a dramatic
and significant change after she, her son, Scott and grand-daughter,
Amanda, had Raye on the road, with her possessions, heading to Ohio.
While living with Ms. Smith at her home in California Powers was
anxious to be friendly and helpful and appeared to be grateful for
the many favors done for her.
At soon as they were on the road Raye
began immediately to be very unwell, experiencing (symptoms). Showing
no concern for Raye Powers' behavior became abusive and critical. Her
utterances became ugly, threatening, and larded with demands for
money.
Upon arriving in Ohio with an RV, the
demands from Powers and her family began to increase. Ms. Smith found
herself supporting six people, Powers, her two children, both of
Angela's children, who are both illegitimate, and the illegitimate
child of Amanda, the eldest Powers grandchild.
Seeing the land her fundraising had
purchased for the first time, Ms. Smith realized Angela was incapable
of handling any project herself. Angela had either intentionally
withheld information or intentionally lied about the facility on the
property and what was needed to make it work as the center promised
to their donors. DATES
DATES Ms. Smith's health continued to
fail and the family refused to help her seek medical care.
In the home Ms. Smith rented in
Ashtabula, at 525 Bunker Hill Road, Ms. Smith found her self forced
to use as a bedroom the downstairs room off the kitchen. She had been
left, sick with an attack of Meniere's Disease, in her RV on the
property, located (address) while Powers, her two grand-daughters,
her great-grandchild, and Scott Beckelheimer moved into the house.
The house had only one bathroom,
located on the second floor. Ms. Smith was unable to climb the stairs
due to Meniere's Disease, from which she suffers when subjected to
undue stress. Despite please for assistance, no one helped her or
offered to get her food or clean when she was completely
incapacitated. These circumstances lasted from the time she moved in,
October 2010, until she began to recover in May.
During this time Ms. Smith's Jeep Grand
Cherokee was never available for her use as it was being used by
Powers family members who left it badly in need of repairs. In an
attempt to ensure she had transportation Mrs. Kooker, by now, badly
traumatized and unable to sleep, purchased a car to be used by Scott
and had the car used by Angel's youngest daughter, Brittany, repaired
at a cost of $1,500. But still, her own car was never available to
her making it difficult for her to seek medical help.
Alarmed, Ms. Smith's friends in several
parts of the country began to ask questions.
One of her friends came out from
Montana to install toilets on the first floor and basement. These
were jobs Scott had been paid to do. He disappeared while the friends
were on site. Other jobs Raye paid him to do were either partially
finished or never begun despite continuing and mounting demands for
more money.
Scott demanded Ms. Smith pay his court
ordered child support for him. When she refused to do so Ms. Smith
began to notice a pattern of behavior from Scott. (list of incidents)
As she recovered Ms. Smith began to
notice many of her valuable possessions were missing. The Powers clan
claimed no knowledge of their whereabouts.
Items missing which Scott admitted
'borrowing' and promised to return are on the list below. A demand
letter was sent, registered mail, to Scott. No response was received.
Finally able to see the direction
events were taking Raye confided in friends who arranged an
intervention.
Powers Family Members
Anna Leigh Powers
Born Donna Jean
Bartac.
Powers married
James Lee, becoming Donna Lee. Her daughter, then twelve, changed her
name to Lee and later used the name for her two children, Amanda and
Brittany, who use the last name of Lee.
Thomas Scott Lee, born Beckelheimer.
Now 44 years of
age.
Has fathered at
least five children, none of whom he is supporting
Angela Kay Lee
Now 42 years of
age.
Amanda – Father
unknown
Jade – Father
unknown
Brittany – Father
known, mother never married to father.
Brittany is the
only family member who is working regularly. Is plagued by demands
for money from her sister, mother, uncle and grandmother.
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